A Star Wars Resort Hotel has been announced for Walt Disney World,
which will offer an immersive visit that further enhances what guests
experience in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Previously, Disney indicated
that the Star Wars Starship Resort will “be seamlessly connected” to
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. (Last updated August 23, 2019.)
In August 2019, Disney revealed that this new hotel would be called
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. Disney additionally revealed that this
will be a two-night adventure aboard a glamorous starship. Once onboard
the starcruiser (called the Halcyon), guests will interact with
characters and become active participants in stories that unfold around
them on their galactic journey.
We’ve offered other info, including concept art, permit plans, and more in our recent Star Wars Resort Rumors & Construction Photos. Hopefully, we’ll hear more about the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Resort at the 2019 D23 Expo this weekend, so stay tuned!
At the last D23 Expo, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks &
Resorts, Bob Chapek, confirmed that the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser
Resort will debut as part of the new Disney 360 vacation concept. This
new vacation concept will be a living adventure that allows guests to be
active participants in an entirely new form of Disney storytelling.
Last May, Disney took this a step further, confirming
that the hotel is currently under development on the south side of
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, just east of World Drive. Following that,
land was cleared for the new hotel, but not much substantive work
occurred last year. In 2019, we finally started seeing visible progress,
with underground infrastructure work occurring in a pit at the
construction site. Still, the project is quite far from going vertical,
and several years away from opening.
In the original Star Wars Hotel’s original announcement, Bob Chapek
shared that “from the second you arrive, you will become a part of a
Star Wars story! You’ll immediately become a citizen of the galaxy and
experience all that entails, including dressing up in the proper attire.
Once you leave Earth, you will discover a starship alive with
characters, stories, and adventures that unfold all around you. It is
100% immersive, and the story will touch every single minute of your
day, and it will culminate in a unique journey for every person who
visits.”
It’s a fascinating idea, one that sounds like a hybrid of a live
action role playing game–something Disneyland previously tested (to a
totally different extent) with Legends of Frontierland–and the all-inclusive resort hands-on ‘enrichment through entertainment’ experience of the Disney Institute.
While both Legends of Frontierland and the Disney Institute were
ahead of their time pushing unique concepts, both of them were
(arguably) failures. (There’s a decent chance you’ve never heard of
either.) Legends of Frontierland only lasted a summer at Disneyland, and
the Disney Institute is now Saratoga Springs (with a name that endures
as some sort of corporate training program).
Presumably, this Star Wars Hotel will not suffer a similar fate…
There are still a lot of unknowns and unconfirmed details about the
Star Wars Resort. Even with all of that, this is a game-changer, plain
and simple. It’s a revolutionary concept, and one that will likely be
highly lucrative for Walt Disney World if they can pull off the concept.
It’s probably not for me, but not everything at Walt Disney World is. I
can still sit in the corner and politely clap at what I think is an
idea with a ton of potential.
Per the previous rumor, which was based upon extensive questionnaires
that Disney had sent out, the Star Wars resort experience at Walt
Disney World would entail guests being immersed in a 2-day story set in
the the Star Wars universe and taking place both at their resort and
within Star Wars Land.
Over the course of their 2-night stay, guests would have personalized
interactions with Star Wars characters and performers throughout the
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Resort, have an all-inclusive Star Wars
meal experience, and engage in story ‘quests’ and missions throughout
the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Resort and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Since this was announced, I’ve seen a few people “report” on pricing
at the Star Wars Resort. I would take all of these numbers with a huge
grain of salt. Walt Disney World has yet to settle on 2019 hotel pricing
for its standard resorts–there is no way there is concrete pricing for a
resort that has not even started construction yet.
Yes, this is going to be an incredibly expensive resort. It’s rumored
to be an all-inclusive resort experience, with per person pricing. It
wouldn’t surprise me if it’s like Disney Cruise Line with pricing based
upon double occupancy and each additional guest in a room costing more
(but not quite as much) after that.
However, in terms of actual pricing? No one knows yet. With things
like this, so much depends upon actual operational costs, what the
actual capex outlay ends up being for the resort, and even things like
the economy. (If things are still booming when this opens, expect higher
prices.)
No matter whether the price is $600 per person or $2,000 (or more!),
there will be a loud chorus of “TAKE MY MONEY, DISNEY.” How loud that
chorus is all depends on the final number. With a presumably low
capacity for such a personalized experience–and a huge fan base for Star
Wars–it might be the case that demand always outstrips supply.
This is sort of what we have seen with limited capacity events Disney
has done in the past. It does not matter if something is an objectively
good value if there’s enough scarcity and enough fans with a surplus of
disposable income. That could be the case here.
The big question is when will this open? Unless there’s a literal
starship hotel being built off-site that will be flown in come 2019 when
Star Wars Land opens, construction for this hotel has yet to begin. It
would appear that permits have not yet been filed, either. (August 2019 Update: construction now has begun and we’re anticipating that Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Resort will open in 2021.)
There’s the possibility that the Star Wars Hotel will be taking over
an existing property, which would allow it to open sooner rather than
later, but that also seems unlikely. More likely is that this has yet to
begin, and won’t be open when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge debuts in 2019. I
wouldn’t be surprised if the target date here is 2021, so it can be
bundled as part of the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary celebration.
Other unknowns include whether the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser
Resort will also be built at some point at Disneyland Resort. While it
was not announced at D23 Expo, the concept has been on the table for
Disneyland as well. The hotel dynamic and resort operations in
California are a bit different, and current delays with Anaheim City
Council in moving projects forward could be what caused the delay in
announcement there. Or, it could be entirely off the table.
Irrespective of the details, the fact that Walt Disney World is going
to build the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Resort as an immersive,
storytelling boutique hotel is a bold and laudable move. It’s the kind
of envelope-pushing experience for which Disney was once known–and seems
to be returning to. To my knowledge, nothing has ever been done like
this anywhere, and this is a revolutionary concept. While the Star Wars
Hotel is almost certainly going to price us out, it’s still a really
cool idea, and I’m excited that Disney is moving forward on it. I
wouldn’t go as far as to call it risky given the crazy demand for all
things Star Wars, it’s certainly an ambitious concept, and far more
applause-worthy than Walt Disney World just re-theming some existing
hotel rooms by throwing some Ewok-fur comforters on the beds, a BB-8
lamp in the corner, and calling it a day.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
News Source: Disney Tourist Blog